Phone conversation with my Uighur college classmate after the riot

[SinoIndusFriendship]

Phone conversation with my Uighur college classmate after the riot

Translated by DJ on Saturday, July 11th, 2009

Original version in Chinese: °Ëã× ¡¤ ¹ã½ÇÐÂÎÅ ¡¤ Æä¡¡Ëü£º¡¾¿Ö²Àʼþºó ÎÒºÍÎÒµÄά×å´óѧͬѧͨµç»°ÁË¡¿

Note: this post is a translation of an article titled “phone conversation I had with my Uighur college classmate after the riot. There have been allegations in recent days that most of the deadly violences were carried out by outsiders of Urumqi (i.e., not residents of the city). This article contains some details of such allegations.


This dude is a Muslim, but strongly assimilated in the Han culture. Twenty years ago, we were classmates in a university located in the central China. He was very good at soccer, which is the sport I actively participated in. I asked for playing tips from him a number of times. He didn’t have much money. I frequently invited him for (cheap) soda drinks on me, and had a fairly good relationship with him back then. … After graduation, he got a job in the Xinjiang Civil Affairs Bureau before leaving to start a business about 10 years ago.

We have not had contacts for years. Because I might travel to Xinjiang for business soon, I called him to say hi and ask how things are over there. I didn’t expect the phone call to go through but it did. And a conversation that I expected to last a few minutes went for an hour…

He is still as outspoken and talkative as I remembered. As soon as the phone got connected, he began telling me all the news of other classmates: who made a fortunate lately, who got promoted, etc.

He was present in Urumqi on July 5th, but has since left. What he told me about the riot on 5th didn’t differ much from things I have learned online and in the media reports. So I will stick with the “official lines” and won’t repeat his descriptions.

He particularly emphasized one issue: that many Uighurs are now very afraid and helpless. They worry about retributions from Han and even government. He kept telling me that the bloody violences had very little to do with regular Uighurs, particularly those living in Urumqi. Those Uighurs with families and jobs also loved and appreciated civil peace. Even among those with resentments towards Han people, fighting and in particular deadly violence were just completely unthinkable. “It was too much. Those people were animals, so brutal.” (Those were his original words, spoken with a strong hint of Hubei dialect. When he started learning Chinese, the teacher must have been someone from Hubei. He still cannot correct such tones twenty years later.)

The way he put it: (he didn’t say if it was his own observation and analysis or heard from others) there were two groups of participants in the July 5th protest and riot. One consisted of Urumqi’s Uighur students and punks hanging around on the streets, influenced by messages circulated online and through SMS. They were agitated to protest in the People’s square. These people didn’t do much. They were there make some noise and release frustrations. … The other group consisted a small fraction of native Urumqi hoodlums and mainly day labors from outside, particularly those from Southern Xinjiang. Those were the core elements behind the killings and destructions. They appeared to be a lot more organized than protesters in the first group. They mixed in with other protesters at first to provoke the police. When the police mobilized to control and disperse the crowd of protesters, they slipped out, leaving others there to keep the police busy. “Where did they go and to do what? What else would they do? Those animals divided into teams to root, burn and kill!”

He didn’t give me time to think through and went onto the next point: this riot deeply harmed both Han and Uighur people. On the surface, the Han population suffered the most, being on the receiving end of the violences. But the Uighurs also lost a lot, implicitly. Regular Uighurs are now deeply afraid, especially when they are faced with looks of cold hatred from Han people on the streets and in the workplace. Uighurs are concerned that government would come down hard on them, and are worried about potential indiscriminate revenge attacks from Han. Most regular Uighur residents had absolutely nothing to do with the violence or even the protest. According to him, many Uighurs received phone calls and short messages urging them to go to the protest in the streets before [July 5th], but most people ignored them. Nobody could have foreseen how awful things turned out to be.

He stressed the point that the most important task now is to dig out the direct perpetrators of violences and their organizers behind the scene. It is essential to place the blame on the real culprits and separate regular Uighur population from the suspicion. Those culprits must suffer the consequences for their actions instead of spreading dragging regular Uighurs down with them. Whichever the race, there would be some bad apples. But most regular Uighurs are peaceful and decent people. They also hate such evil elements. … After this riot, a small group of people brought incredible casualties to the Han people as well as harms to the Uighurs as a whole. They did their evil acts and now all Uighurs are dragged into the dispute. What kind of logic is this? … He said that he never felt discomfort taking as stroll on the streets, but now all he felt was awkwardness. If not for business, he would have stayed put in the home, keeping together with his wife and kids. And things could turn to the worse from now on. When and if Han people begin to look at Uighurs with hatred, the livelihood of all Uighurs would suffer. “Han is after all the majority race in this country and dominates in technology and economy. Without working with Han people, a lot of us would have to go back farming in the country side.” … “It used to be that we would enjoy shopping and eating in the city as a family. Now we cannot. All of a sudden, there are places to be avoided and we worry being on the receiving end of troubles and humiliations. How could we not be depressed and angry?”

In the end, he emphasized again the need to find out what truly happened and who were the culprits. Then those need to be publicized so that ethnic tension would not be heated up further. It is essential to find out the truth and let everyone know so that hatred between Uighur and Han would be reduced. “Don’t expect we Uighurs wouldn’t hate those culprits.” … “They killed and looted and now we have to suffer the consequences. How could we not feel angry towards them?”

He heard that some of our classmates were faring well in the government or private enterprises. “Perhaps some of them could have channels to talk to the central government to reflect these concerns.”

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[quriosity]

good article...

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[muse]

Guys

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[SinoIndusFriendship]

PRE-MEDITATED Attacks on China's diplomatic missions well-orchestrated


Hurling stones, Molotov cocktails and burning Chinese national flags, supporters of the East Turkestan separatists started well-orchestrated and sometimes violent attacks on Chinese embassies and consulates in several countries soon after the riots occurred last Sunday in China's northwest city of Urumqi that killed 184 people.

Only hours after the riots started in Urumqi, capital of China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, a group of nearly 30 people stirred up trouble at China's Consulate General in Los Angeles by throwing eggs at the consulate building.

On Monday, two unidentified men tossed home-made gasoline bombs on the Chinese Consulate General in Munich, Germany.

Attackers in both cases swiftly disappeared before the police arrived on the scene.

A series of protests, some far more violent, were staged simultaneously in a number of cities across the world in the wake of the Urumqi riots.

Waving flags and banners, and shouting separatist slogans, the crowd led by Rebiya Kadeer marched from DuPont Circle in Washington D.C. to the Chinese Embassy on Tuesday afternoon.

They tried to break the cordon into the embassy, but was stopped by US police. During Tuesday's gathering, Kadeer, head of the separatist World Uygur Congress (WUC), made a speech, urging foreign governments to support their separatist movement.

Kadeer has long made it clear that the WUC would plot sabotage activities this year, the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

In Munich, where the WUC was based, hundreds of protestors gathered Tuesday afternoon to attack the Chinese consulate general. When their attempt was foiled by police, they went to the Marienplatz, a square in central Munich and harassed the passing Chinese tourists there.

Violent demonstrations continued for days in the Chinese Embassy in Ankara, Turkey. Rioters hurled stones and eggs at the embassy buildings and smashed windowpanes of the ambassador's residence. Only heavy police presence prevented them from further storming the embassy.

In the Netherlands, mobs threw bricks and stones on the Chinese Embassy building on Monday, destroying almost all of its windows facing the street.

On Tuesday, about 100 violent protestors tried to storm the Chinese Embassy and a Chinese restaurant in Oslo, Norway, before police stopped them.

Violent attacks also ocurred in Chinese consulates and embassies in Australia, Japan and Sweden.

The attacks against China's diplomatic missions and the Urumqi riots seemed to be well-organized.

Russia's RIA Novosti political commentator Dmitry Kosyrev noted, "I cannot imagine anyone setting fire to a shop with a lighter. You need at least a canister of gasoline to do that ... there were trained provocateurs inciting the public."

Almost all the participants in the attacks and riots declared their affiliation with either the WUC or its subordinate groups. A report by German-Foreign-Policy.com said that the Munich-based WUC "is escalating tensions and most likely is also behind the calls for last weekend's ethnic pogroms."

The report also said that during the WUC's general assembly last May in Washington, the organization planned its next steps and "the WUC had called for anti-Beijing demonstrations preceding these riots."

(Xinhua News Agency July 13, 2009)

---------- Post added at 01:29 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:27 AM ----------

'I will tell my friends about what I see in Xinjiang': French tourist


When Michel Dupond and his French tour party arrived at Xinjiang Urumqi airport Sunday, he was told they were among only a few travel groups from overseas that had not cancelled their schedules.

One week before their landing, a riot broke out in this capital city of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on July 5, leaving 184 people dead and more than 1,600 others injured.

The region's tourism industry was hit immediately as travel agencies cancelled or postponed Xinjiang-bound tours.

"Only foreign business people and reporters have been coming in and I saw more rush out of the region these days for safety reasons," said Qi Xi, a travel agent who works at the airport.

"My manager called me last evening and asked me to guide this French tour group," said Liu Xiaoping, "this is my first job this week." This local tour guide said most of his colleagues were "just staying at home".

"No one stopped us from coming here, and I had no reason recalling our decision," said Dupond, who has visited China several times. Two days before leaving for China from France, Dupond sent an email to his Chinese colleague asking whether it was okay to visit Xinjiang at this moment.

"He said yes, so we packed luggage and came," said Dupond. His friends thought he must be "crazy" when they learned about his decision.

It has been getting normal on the streets except for special policemen standing at some major crossroads. Shops and restaurants are restarting business and vendors are preparing for the night bazaar. But tension remains and the "wound might need a long time to heal," Liu Xiaoping said.

Liu took the group to Xinjiang Museum where he was busy answering questions from the tourists about dresses, hats, printed wall hangings, wooden spoons, bookstands and mummies unearthed in the region.

"Is it possible for us to eat roasted eggplant for dinner? I'm now hungry, to be honest," asked Cardin, a plant virologist.

All people laughed. Their lunch not only included eggplants but also a variety of meats and vegetables as well as Xinjiang's hami melon and local red wine.

"I love it to be here," said Dupond, "The modern museum, and nice people, the nice food, and almost everything, which are good."

"Of course I saw groups of special policemen on the street, that makes me feel nothing but safer," said Cardin, saying that he "made a wise decision in coming at this moment".

"I believe China can handle it, and I know it needs time to heal the wounds," said Cardin.

"If you want to ask me about what had happened in Xinjiang, I would like to tell you my idea. I think the riot had been enticed by forces outside," said Dupond, "and you know this kind of things also happened in some other countries.

"We are looking forward to sightseeing in Kashgar, and I will share my stories with friends back home and let them know I'm not crazy," said Dupond.

(Xinhua News Agency July 13, 2009)

---------- Post added at 01:30 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:29 AM ----------

Rebiya Kadeer mocked by netizens over lies on Urumqi riot


The head of the separatist World Uygur Congress Rebiya Kadeer has been mocked by netizens for her remarks about the deadly July 5 riot in Urumqi that left 184 dead.

An article The Real Uygur Story by Kadeer, posted on the Wall Street Journal website, online.wsj.com, on July 8, told her version of the violence. She claimed "hundreds of Uighurs are now dead for exercising their right to protest", or in what she called a "peaceful assembly".

"She is like thousand miles from the epic center. How can she know the real story?" questioned Siu Tsang, in a comment forum linked to the article, on Saturday.

"Maybe indeed she had special channels to the Uygur area and is the mastermind behind the mob killing..." Tsang said.

"I did not know who this woman was, but after reading her so called opinion on the WSJ, I now believe that it is highly plausible this woman could be the mastermind behind the riots," said T. J. Chen in the same forum.

"... I just cannot get over the eerie feeling it was written before the riots took place," Chen said.

Kadeer was jailed in 1999 on charges of harming national security in China. She left for the United States shortly after she was released on bail in 2005. She is now the leader of the World Uygur Congress, which has close contact with terrorist organizations.

She was once the richest woman in Xinjiang and was named by Forbes in 1995 as the eighth richest on the Chinese mainland. She also served as a member of National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the top advisory body of the country.

In her article, Kadeer claimed "years of Chinese repression of Uighurs" was the cause of the current Uygur "discontent".

But a post by Benchi Sun in the forum refuted the accusation with "a few interesting facts" that he found after watching an interview with Kadeer.

"She (Kadeer) had 11 children, which confirms that Uygurs were not subject to China's one-child policy," Sun said in his post.

"She was born to a family with no background. She started her business with a roadside convenience store and worked her way to the richest person in Xinjiang. This proved Uygurs can earn their business success through hard work," the netizen continued.

He also cited Kadeer's experience as a member of CPPCC National Committee to show that Uygurs were not excluded from political life in the country.

"The author should stop telling lies. You know, God is always fair, no matter which God you believe in. God will punish those who tell lies. Can we agree on this?" the post said.

In her article, Kadeer used "East Turkestan" to refer to Xinjiang.

"If Rebiya Kadeer did not have separatist intentions, why does she use 'East Turkestan' as the name of the province and not the Chinese name Xinjiang?" said Tony Tan in the same forum.

Kadeer mentioned "China's heavy-handed reaction to Sunday's protest. But it was criticized by readers with hard facts.

"Real??? Are you kidding? Don't ignore the fact that the so-called protesters killed 156 innocent people, including Han and Uygur," said another post entry by Bridget Ch, before the latest death toll, 184, was announced Saturday by the Xinjiang regional government.

"It is not a demonstration, but a bloody massacre. Criminals must be punished," the post said.

The riot has also left 1,680 injured, and hundreds of vehicles and shops vandalized and looted and other public facilities destroyed. The regional government said Saturday among the dead, 137 were Han and 46 were Uygur.

In a Tuesday interview with Al Jazeera, Kadeer showed a testimonial photo which purported to show "peaceful Uygur protesters" in Urumqi and how they were treated by the police. The photo was later found to be cropped from a Chinese news website image on an unrelated June 26 protest in Shishou, Hubei Province.

"This untruthful woman likes to put herself in the spotlight. But she should bear in mind that more public appearances will only bring her more shame, if she continues to lie," said a Chinese netizen named "nineteen years of knife for killing cows" in a forum.

(Xinhua News Agency July 13, 2009)

---------- Post added at 01:30 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:30 AM ----------

Islamic college thanked for sheltering civilians in Urumqi riot


Staff at the Xinjiang Islamic College have received a letter of thanks for providing shelter for passers-by who escaped the Urumqi riot on July 5.

Memet and other security guards at the only religious school of higher education in China's far northwest Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region saved 15 people from mobs on July 5.

Among the 15 are six Hans, four Uygurs, four Hazaks and one Tajik.

Memet said Wei Yutong, 4, and Xu Dabo, 23, were so horrified that they could not speak when being saved. "They just couldn't go back home across the road from the college," said Memet.

The staff closed the doors of the college to protect the 15 people despite shouting and verbal abuse from the mobs.

The 15 people were offered food and spent a frightful but safe night in the college.

The letter of thanks on red paper from the relatives of the rescued reads: "My heartful thanks to you for timely coming to the rescue of my nieces Xu Dabo, 23 and Wei Yutong, four, and helping them escape the terror attacks when the mobs were smashing stores and beating passengers-by on the Yan'an Road around 9:30 p.m.on July 5."

"The Koran tells us that non-Muslims should be equally treated," said Ehe, a teacher at the college. He called the mobs on the night a week ago "evil people" and pointed out, "They are not Muslims at all."

"They hit people and smashed things they saw," said Mutalifu, deputy head of the college's general office. "They are against humans".

Security guards at a mosque evacuated people when the riots broke out and locked the doors of an underground shopping mall to protect those who failed to escape.

Yibulayin found two women and a teenage girl of Han ethnic group shivering in horror while hiding in a lavatory.

"I told them that the temple was the safest place. But when I offered them food, they didn't eat but cried because of anxiety," Yibulayin said.

After violence eased, another security guard, Kadir, escorted the three to a nearby public security office 10 minutes walk away.

"They were so horrified that they didn't dare to leave the temple," said Kadir. "But I placed my arms around them to protect them during the 10-minute walk."

The Urumqi violence has left at least 184 people dead and 1,680 others injured as of Sunday, according to the government of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

(Xinhua News Agency July 13, 2009)

 

[SinoIndusFriendship]

Don't twist facts


Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan would be well advised to take back his remarks on what has happened in China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

Mr Erdogan's description of the riots in Xinjiang as "a kind of genocide" is an irresponsible and groundless accusation. The fact that 137 of the 184 persons killed in the riots are Han Chinese speaks volumes for the nature of the event.

There is no doubt that the riots were plotted by Uygur separatists outside the country to split the unity of different ethnic groups in the region. The rioters just attempted to sow seeds of animosity between the Uygur and the Han Chinese, which they expected would carry forward their conspiracy of separating Xinjiang from China.

Turning a blind eye to what the Chinese government has done to restore order in Urumqi, Mr Erdogan said "we have difficulty understanding how China's leadership can remain a spectator in the face of these events".

Chinese leaders are the last people who want to see happenings like these in the largest ethnic autonomous region. The harmony of different ethnic groups has been the top priority of what both the central and local governments have been making unremitting efforts to consolidate for many years. And, so has been the steady improvement of living standards of ethnic minority groups all over the country.

These are evidenced by the preferential policies of the central government for ethnic minority groups. For example, the family planning policy applies only to the Han Chinese and never to ethnic minority groups. Candidates for national college entrance examinations from ethnic minority groups get an extra 20 points for their enrollment.

It is quite common in the increasingly globalized world for people from different ethnic groups to live together in the same land. So it is insensitive and ridiculous to interpret the co-inhabitance of the Uygur and Han Chinese in Xinjiang as the Han people's assimilation of the Uygur ethnic group.

Actually, the Uygur people have also spread across the country during the past three decades, in pursuit of their fortune. It is the economic reform that has made such migration possible. So how can Mr Erdogan accuse the Chinese government of assimilating the Uygur ethnic group?

It is the rioters' venting of racial hatred, the atrocities committed by them and the rumors spread by separatists that have created misunderstanding between the Uygur and Han communities. As a result, people from both communities suffered great loss of lives and property. Obviously, such turmoil is in the interest of neither community. Nor is it in the interest of the region's economy. More than 80,000 tourists cancelled or delayed their trips to the region last week.

The efforts the central and local governments have been making to restore order and clear the misunderstanding between the Uygur and Han communities are what local residents of different ethnic groups really want and need for leading a peaceful and happy life.

Mr Erdogan's remarks, which constitute interference in China's internal affairs, are the last thing the Uygur and Han Chinese would find helpful when they are looking forward to lasting peace.

(China Daily July 14, 2009)